As consumers accelerate their adoption of smart phones and similar mobile devices, one unfortunate consequence of these types of devices is the increasing frequency of these types of devices being misplaced or stolen. As such, it would be advantageous if people had a mechanism that used the power of these devices to help facilitate their return.
Traditional barcodes have been utilized for many years for tracking items during transit or for inventory purposes. For instance, airlines utilize barcodes during their check-in process to tag checked baggage to assist with tracking and verifying arrival at the final destination. Another representative example is the use of barcodes to track shipments from retailer to a consumer using various shipping companies, wherein the status and location of the shipment is updated to indicate the shipping progress. Finally, many companies utilize unique barcodes for high dollar items such as computers or other electronic devices so as to facilitate annual inventory and to track these assets.
More recently, a new style of coding technology referred to as a QR barcode or quick response barcode has begun to be utilized due to the increased amount of information that can be embedded within their code. For instance, individual internet addresses can be embedded within QR barcodes. Almost any individual with an electronic device having a camera such as, for example, “smart” phones, tablet computers, laptop computers and the like, can utilize readily available QR reader applications/programs to access a wealth of product information or be directed to websites including product information by simply snapping a picture of a QR barcode.